Hashimoto’s Brain Health – A Profound Impact on Brain Health With all of the new science and literature being published on autoimmunity, inflammation, and the relationship to brain health, I decided to share more information on this specific subject. Since it is the most common autoimmune condition in women, and the #1 conditions that I support, let’s talk about Hashimoto’s and brain health. Brain fog and memory issues are the second greatest problem for people suffering from Hashimoto’s. Fatigue is most common problem, but there are numerous causes of fatigue. I cover the most common causes in this presentation: http://drbradshook.com/what-causes-fatigue-the-functional-medicine-approach-to-improving-your-health/ I really cannot stress this enough, your brain is everything: when you lose it, you lose it all. Symptoms and problems that result from Hashimoto’s pale in comparison to the issues that arise from neurodegeneration and autoimmunity in the brain, especially when these progress to a certain level. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s type symptoms result from these neurodegenerative factor. Another brain related problem (though rare) that can develop is Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy. Hashimoto’s is the combination of hypothyroidism and autoimmunity, which is twice the attack on the brain. The process occurs via massive inflammation of the immune system in the brain, which then causes major destruction of neurons and vital brain tissue. Remember that the immune system in the brain is very different from the immune system in the rest of the body. It functions only in two distinct manners: resting state or ferociously active. The precious nature of the brain means there is no in-between. Further, there is no regulatory mechanism to slow it down once this has begun. It will run until it burns itself out. With brain health, we now understand that the inflammatory process needs to occur for a while, but the current thinking now is that normal brain cell autophagy (cell death) may be optimized, and quieted through temporary fasting. The neural immune cells responsible, the microglia, actively chew up everything around them when in an excited/activated state. This is a very bad process. It has profound effects on your state of mind and how you feel. Emotions such as anxiety, depression and chronic overwhelming stress are directly related to this neurochemistry. These aren’t coincidental – there is a physiological reason for them. Neurotransmitters responsible for these emotions, including serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine and others become deficient in people suffering from Hashimoto’s. The entire thyroid hormone production process begins in the center of the brain in the hypothalamus (HT). The HT has to have serotonin and dopamine to function normally, and beginning the process of signalling the thyroid to produce testosterone. It looks like this… H.T. = Hypothalamus – produces TRH (Thyroid Releasing Hormone) S = Serotonin D = Dopamine P.I.T. = Pituitary gland – produces TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) These ‘molecules of emotion’ are directly responsible for your emotional health and wellbeing. (Serotonin and Dopamine) The Other Major Player For the Brain The gut is secondarily responsible. The digestive tract can be referred to as the body’s second brain. The brain and digestive tract interact with each other significantly. So my best piece of advice: focus on healing these two areas long-term to receive the greatest benefits for your life. I hope this helps you gain better control of your health. If you would like help with autoimmunity, hashimoto’s, or Type II diabetes just give us call or request an appointment on our website. Have a wonderful day!
The post Hashimoto’s Brain Health appeared first on The Office of Dr. Brad Shook.
